A fondue party at its simplest involves warm dipping sauce for everything from meats to cookies. To plan a fondue party, you need to decide how detailed you want the menu, how many guests you’d like to serve and where you’re going to find fondue pots and skewers. The presentation of the food, with guests doing their own cooking, makes the occasion both novel and entertaining.

First Things First

1.Who to Invite?With a fondue party, your equipment availability determines the number of guests you can invite. Typically, four to six people can comfortably share each fondue pot. The number of courses you’re serving also affects the number of pots you’ll need. Traditionally, three courses are served: cheese, meat and dessert. Unless you have fondue pots that can be used for both oil and cheese fondues, you’ll need a pot for each course. So, for every four people with three courses, you’ll need three fondue pots. Keeping your guest list between eight and ten people is wise for your first party.

2. Which fondue pots?A “caquelon” (traditional ceramic fondue pot) distributes heat evenly, making it ideal for both cheese and chocolate fondues. A metal pot, usually made of copper or enameled iron, works best for hot oils and broths because it retains heat longer. Most fondue pots are fueled by liquid fuel or fuel paste. Some models allow for electrical use. One negative of using an electrical model involves location choices. A non-electrical fondue pot can be set anywhere, making it the most convenient option. Most fondue pots come with four or six differently colored skewers.

3. Where do I find fondue pots?If this is your first attempt at a fondue party, try to find used fondue sets. Consider consulting friends and family members to borrow sets.

It’s not unusual to find fondue sets at garage sales and second-hand stores in very nice condition because they are often purchased and rarely used. Older sets not only look chic and retro, they usually work as well as new fondue pots. If you really want new equipment, Rival makes a reasonably priced electronic set and Rachael Ray even has her own liquid-fuel-burning fondue set.

Fondue Food

1.What type of food should I serve?Many fondues can be purchased ready-made, only requiring that you heat them before serving. If you’d rather create your own fondue party menu, foodnetwork.com and fonduerecipes.org have many recipes to choose from. When making your own fondue, use a decent quality of wine for the cheese sauce. A cheap wine can ruin the flavor. Be sure to use cheeses that are in the same family. For example, you wouldn’t want to mix a hard cheese like muenster with a softer cheese, such as mozzarella. The muenster cheese will overpower the flavor of the mozzarella. A better match to combine with muenster would be brie. A mozzarella cheese could be cooked with a fontanella. Also consider adding a flavored liqueur to your chocolate fondue sauce. Some popular flavor choices are: Grand Marnier for an orange flavor, Frangelico for a hazelnut accent or Chambord for a raspberry twist.

The first course, cheese fondue, is served with dipping items such as:

A second course of meat fondues require sizzling hot oil, such as vegetable, canola or peanut types. Tender cuts of cubed beef, chicken or pork cook quickly in hot fondue oil. For dipping, you’ll want to include for dipping an Asian style, Thai peanut butter style, herbed garlic, horseradish cream, dill cream or lemon sauce. Seafood fondues work best with shrimp, scallops and sturdy fish such as salmon and swordfish. While you can still use vegetable oil, it should be in a different pot than the meat fondue. Sauces that taste great with seafood include: remoulade, tartar, cocktail, dill or béarnaise. Some hostesses serve a salad or rice with their second course. For the final chocolate fondue course, use any fruit that will stay on the skewer as well as pound cake and cheesecake bites. Pizzelles, a crisp Italian cookie, enhances the chocolate without succumbing to its weight. A chocolate fondue fountain offers a visually pleasing and novel alternative to a traditional fondue pot.

2. How much food do I need to prepare?It’s easiest to calculate food amounts per person then multiply by your guest number.

For fondue parties, plan 1 to 1½ pounds of food person according to general serving sizes of:

Certain preparations and considerations will make your fondue party an even greater success. Even fondue parties require plates and utensils. Each person should also have skewers. If you’re using bamboo skewers, you can simply color each end with a different shade of marker to help your guests keep track of their skewers. Skewers included in a fondue set are typically color coded already.

You may want to discuss fondue etiquette with your guests. The following guidelines allow for a more enjoyable party for everyone:

1. After dipping, hold the skewer over the pot for a moment until the fondue stops dripping. You can then put the food on your plate or pull it off the skewer with your fingers and eat it.

2. Since the skewer end goes into the community pot, do not place the skewer in your mouth.

3. No double-dipping.

4. Don’t dip with your fingers. Not only is this considered rude, but odds are you’ll burn your fingertips.

5. When skewering raw meat, put the fork all the way through the meat to ensure that it doesn’t drop into the pot.

6. When using community sauces, follow the same etiquette guidelines for dipping in the fondue pot.

One fondue tradition states that if a man drops fondue in a pot, he has to buy the next round of drinks or the next pot of fondue. If a woman drops food in the pot, she has to kiss the man nearest to her.

Arrange your tables so that guests have plenty of space around the fondue pots as well as room for plates, sauces and dipping items.

Whether you’re just trying out a dessert fondue or planning a three course feast, fondue parties are bound to be a hit. Having a fondue party takes some advanced preparation, but it is well worth the effort as your guests enjoy the variety of sauces and dipping items while creating their own fun and ambiance.

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